CALGARY, AB – CBC News reports that Great Western Brewing and Steam Whistle Brewing have been granted legal injunctions against the Government of Alberta‘s controversial beer markup policy, pending a court case to decide if the policy is unconstitutional.
Originally introduced last autumn, and refined this past summer, the policy mandates that all beer sold in the province is subject to a markup of $1.25 per litre regardless of the location of the brewery, with Alberta-based breweries receiving a rebate based on their annual production levels.
Steam Whistle was granted an injunction against the original change in January, and have received court approval to have it extended, while Great Western have been awarded a new injunction based on a legal action filed last month. Both breweries will be paying a markup equal to what they paid before the new policies were implemented – 48 cents per litre in Great Western’s case – while awaiting the decision from the full hearing that is expected to take place next May.
Should the case be found in favour of the Government, the breweries will be required to pay the difference for any beer sold during the injunction period.
For more details, see the full CBC News article.